Category Archives: Society

A Filipino band is creating online buzz as videos spread of their live performances at a frequented Filipino-Brazilian restaurant in Florianopolis, Brazil.

Milan (not the Italian city you are thinking of) is a rock band that has had four record labels in the Philippines.The band moved to Brazil in early 2016 and now regularly performs at Salut, a restaurant that serves Filipino and Brazilian cuisine.

Aside from the food that keep locals coming back, the band’s unique music covers and the energetic interpretation of its frontman, Hammilan “Milan” Pavoreal magnets especially music-loving customers. His out-of-the-box and almost spontaneous acts not only attracted and impressed ordinary customers, but even artists like Zeca Petry, lead vocal of Expresso, a famous Brazilian rock band of the 80’s.

Petry uploaded videos of Milan’s performances on Facebook. In one of the videos, he described how captivated he and the rest of the audience were, saying “I confess that I’ve never seen anything like this in restaurants in the city, and [it] deserves to be seen.” (See Zeca Petry’s upload here.)

The videos are fast spreading on Facebook. This one below had over 15,000 views.

Speaking as a Filipino myself, it gives me pride and joy to hear about fellow Filipinos being admired in the international and/or online community. Artists like Milan, prove to me that the Filipino has become a brand of talent across the globe, producing generations of music icons like rapper Apl D’Ap and Journey’s new lead vocalist Arnel Pineda.

In the video below, also uploaded by Zeca Petry, I can see why people are just blown away by the energy of their live performance.

I believe Filipinos make it big because Filipinos are something else. More power, Milan!

Following the retirement of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Pio Catapang last June, General Leonardo Espina also steps down from his post in the Philippine National Police (PNP). In his place, in the PNP Change Of Command Ceremony in Camp Crame, held last July 16, 2015.

Photo Credit: Philstar.com

Knowing Our Police Force

In accordance with Republic Act 6975 aka. Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990, the PNP we know today was officially formed in January 29, 1991, upon the merging of the Philippine Constabulary and Integrated National Police. With Headquarters located in Quezon City, the 160,000 strong force belongs under the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Leonardo Espina became the 19th PNP Chief in February 2015 following the removal of PNP Chief Alan Purisima from his post. The Force had suffered greatly in January, when 44 officers in the Special Action Force fell during the Mamasapano Maguindanao encounter.

The New PNP Chief Ricardo Marquez officially took over on July 19. As I listen to his inaugural speech, I have come to know the 20th PNP Chief as someone promising. In words put simply, like all the PNP Chiefs before him, he is not meek on wanting to make improvements and changes in the Police Service, for the betterment of this country – the safety of its people. (See: Marquez’s Inaugural Speech FULL TEXT)

Espina, on Tuesday, earlier remarked on Marquez’s “proven track record,” describing him, rather, to be a hardworking officer.” In his inaugural speech, he mentions a new anti-crime model they’ve been working on.

Looking Forward to Peace

I admire the force and its efforts to sustain peace within the nation’s borders. For instance, the PNP’s preparation for President Benigno Aquino III’s final State of the Nation Address (SONA) was substantial and, as Marquez put it, “not overkill.” I would like to believe that PNP is taking every step to observe peace within the country but what about us? What part do we play?

In keeping the peace, there should be mutual agreement amnong all concerned parties for the Police Force does not have simply one enemy. We keep blaming and blaming but what do we really do? In the end, rallies are futile and blaming reaps nothing. I support these peacekeepers in their intentions and admire all those who have joined the force for the greater good, not for self-profit or gain but genuinely for the peace.

Truly, there has not been enough thanks but criticism, not only toward the government but most especially even towards our Police force. And, in this scenario, we cannot blame them if they are discouraged by these strong oppositions that aim to further the demise rather than help the cause.

But for this matter also, it is very timely for events that promote our heroes rather than destroy them. Such was with the recently concluded “Songs For Heroes 2: Ang Mamatay ng Dahil Sa’yo,” a benefit concert under UNTV: Your Public Service Channel in which we showcased talents from and for the PNP and AFP. On behalf of the Filipino people who truly care, I support our peacekeepers and their sacrifices for our country throughout the years.

Beautiful? Handsome? That should not be the basis for choosing your student council officers.
What if they speak well? Do they know how to keep their promises, no matter how small or insignificant?

Are they compassionate about their job or do they just love the perks of getting free stuff, BLAMING the school authorities or professors for decisions THEY pushed for approval and implemented themselves?

Do they listen to YOU?

Or are they just BOSSY, and selfishly use student funds for printing their OWN personal academic projects?

It’s not yet the end of the school year (in a Philippine Educational Setting). But it’s always safe to be prepared as early as now. There is much to love about being part of the student citizenry in your very own Alma Mater, but make the most of your College or High School days by maximizing what you can do in your student community, even if it means just being an informed and active voter.

The General Standard

Your student council officers should be transparent –with all transactions, especially financial ones. They should be responsible, and not just all talk. They should be fair in all aspects of their student career, whether in academics or fulfilling their student council duties. As a group, the student council shouldn’t CLAIM that their adviser, principal, etc. made decisions which, later on we find out, were only APPROVED.

They should KNOW that they are carrying a heavy weight – that their responsibility isn’t to just put on a show. That being said, if offered the position by authority through recommendation or a deciding body, they should understand their responsibility and role before accepting the task.

Maybe for some Colleges or Institutions, there isn’t much credit or importance being given to the Student Council. But there should be!

Before even holding campaigns, there should be a publicly-announced period of time for all eligible students to know about their opportunity to run for position. If the students aren’t aware of the opportunity and given time to prepare for a campaign, professors or school authority will be forced to choose people, thereby informing only a few and limit potentials. It’s sad because this kind of opportunity is where a student or pupil could learn hands-on what it means to have democracy and engage in leadership roles. At a young age, there should be initiative! But not the kind brought about by ‘we had no other option’ kind of decision from others. The length of time can create competition which in turn helps these students develop ideas in which to better serve the student body or make the school year the most enjoyable and most satisfactory an experience it can be for both those in Council and those in the student citizenry.

Real-World Simulations through Student Citizenry

Perhaps having a responsible and goal-driven Student Council would help the School or Institute, that some responsibilities and decisions of teachers can be delegated to them, such as facilitating order among underclassmen during non-academic or extra-curricular events, that help shape the students in a wholesome way. Of course the academic part of education is still the most important, but somehow, without extra-curricular activities and organizations such as the Student Council, there are lessons taught through the academe that may not be well-applied in real life due to lack of these real-world simulations.

There is a need to acknowledge the complaints of the student citizenry in general – things that are different than those confided in with the Guidance Counselor. If the institute offers extra-curricular and other organizations, there is a need to facilitate that with the help of the Student Council.

But, as in the democratic setting in our country wherein we don’t want the Government controlling large companies such as Meralco and the Media, there should be a distinction between organizations. Those who belong to the Student Council should focus on their job within Student Council duties lest they be tempted and corrupt other independent school organizations by joining and leading both.

I believe that having a position within the Student Council should disqualify that person from taking leading roles in other organizations, most especially the student publication. Student Journalism is a favorite of mine, and one that has been close to my heart since I have partaken in Publication organizations during my High School and College days.

In my opinion, being in both Student Council and Student Publication should be strictly avoided or forbidden. Why? It is not that there is a need to limit potential. But, aside from the fact that both type of work require attention and focus, there is a need to maintain that the Publication does not favor the Student Council in the news they provide – this is for the protection of both organizational parties and the advising body (or the professors/teachers who are their advisers). I think that in order to establish independence and cooperation, there is a need for Publication to work separately from the Governing body. It is good if the students are able to receive unbiased news. And for this matter also, I would suggest that replacing officers within the Media/Publication Organization should come earlier before election campaigns even start, to avoid any disqualification and for the proper coverage of the elections.

It also goes without saying that the election-facilitating body (for student council) or commission on elections should be composed of a limited number of students, are accepted through invitation-only, and are strictly confined to organizations that do not interfere directly with media or student council.

Frustrations and Regrets

Despite the duties and requirements in being part of the Student Council, the idea is to have a fun and memorable experience whether it be College or High School. Having a lively student body will contribute to that, especially if students are able to engage in organizations where they can exercise their true potentials or passions. As in my case, I always dreamed of getting published. I love my career now as a Nurse, but I won’t deny that I always had second thoughts about pursuing it in the past, because my passion was in journalism. I still wanted to grow as a writer, and having the opportunity to partake in the College Publication gave me a chance to quench my thirst for this side of me.

I always thought that was the best part of my College, because we were not confined to learning how to become just a nurse, but to further develop our individualities, thereby creating in each one of us a wholesome Nurse by the time we graduated. Of course it was difficult. There were many controversies and risks (such as misunderstandings leading to a summoning to the office of the Dean, which I later very much appreciated).

For a lot of people, you don’t get that opportunity to engage in Student Activities like this – sometimes once in a lifetime, and for those really faint at heart, sometimes never. But if you want to remember your school year beyond the walls of your own classroom or block section, take a chance. Involve yourself within the student citizenry, and at the very least vote, so that everyone can enjoy a civil, well-governed, lively, financially stable school year!

Cigarettes. They are illness-provoking, pollution-causing, useless little sticks. I don’t need to expound on that here. There are many articles on paper and online that talks about the detrimental ingredients found in a single cigarette.

So, what’s the big deal? I’m talking to the spineless who are unwilling to give up their stick-suckling habit for the good of everyone else.

I wrote an editorial in 2012 for my previous school’s college organization’s publication, La OBRA (Lasallian Organization for Broadcast and Related Arts), called “Drop the Cigarette,” in which I encouraged fellow students in health and medical courses to be concerned about their fellow people. I sought that it may be possible for us to influence the people around us, whether or not we knew them personally, to drop the habit. But how futile of it knowing now that there are people in health care and medical professions who resist and even despise such change in themselves. They cling to so many excuses, they insist on psychological issues, and they persist to smoke despite the risks.

Cigarette-smoking is suicide. There is no doubt about that. As Dr. Philip S. Chua explains in his article written in 2002 for the Philippine Inquirer “Smoking is Slow Suicide,” cigarette-health risk issues are dealt with a great dichotomy. Our government claims to be doing everything to “discourage” people from smoking, but with the power to ban these deadly inventions (—and for good reason!), instead, they let these tobacco companies succeed in the country, at the very least even benefit from the tax they accumulate from brain-washed or addicted consumers.

But cigarette-smoking is not just slow-suicide. It is also slow-murder. If you care about your kids, your friends, your family—the people who are victims of second-hand smoking, I urge you to take in this fact. If you smoke around them, you are killing them.

Are we content in a society with mediocre ways of dealing with cigarette-smoking? There are many ordinances including laws that prohibit smoking in public—which includes public vehicles and places. The LTFRB (Land Transportation and Franchising and Regulatory Board) does provide a memorandum for No-Smoking signs in public conveyances, but they are hardly taken as an order rather than a suggestion. Why, aren’t sidewalks public places? Isn’t it illegal to light a cigarette and smoke while walking your way from LRT Central Station to SM City Manila? Maybe I don’t know how specific the Tobacco Regulation Act or RA 9211 is, but if it isn’t prohibited to smoke in public places, especially those with the tendency to crowd, what’s the point?

And no wonder people can’t take the law seriously because those who are supposed to implement the law are the ones who disregards it—the very first ones to take lightly of the facts of this issue.

If our country’s government has no plans to totally eradicate smoking, and kick-out these cigarette companies for fear of consequences to the economy, when can we start? Why not now?

Davao is a city with many accomplishments thanks to the administration of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. It has been a smoke-free city for 12 years, and was hailed the first smoke-free metropolitan city in Southeast Asia. Each city can learn from their persistence and determination. We don’t need to follow in the footsteps of other “better” or “developed” country every time. If our country or government idealizes change that would be beneficial to our country, we don’t have to wait for the results of success of it in other countries but persist our own.

Let them follow.

For if we wait, one day we can never go back. Even now, there are already some closed-minded citizens in this country who insist to legalize the use of ‘other’ addictive substances and/or drugs, just because ‘they’re’ doing it.

This ignites the rage of my patriotic side, for my idea of patriotism is not merely of the language we speak or of the physical nor of people. True patriotism, I believe, involves a trust that our country, being the way it is—us as a society—could still produce better things (ideas, results, and people) than most other countries—and one of those is to become a smoke-free country.

Let’s not be pessimists on this issue. Let’s no longer wait. Why not, you ask? Why not now?

My first love had always been writing. Many would’ve thought otherwise–I am first and foremost a singer, but I fell in love with the art of the pen.

What is there in the written work?

Fables and Legends, Cultures and Histories — these all have owed the pen.

And I have fallen in-love with such–and the art of speech and communication among all languages and cultures, even the sign language. This vastness, the great wisdom of humanity, though much incomparable to God’s, is proof also of His greatness, His perfect wisdom, His eternal power.

And so I learned… to write and to speak. I attained skill with earnest ambition and an eye for the art of speech and words. As time passed, I progressed. They say if you love something, it wouldn’t be difficult to do.

Many people can write, professionally speaking. But not all people love to write.

I prefer to write because, despite my capabilities with the languages I speak, and my manner of speech, I’m not good with public speaking. When people demand a message of substance, unlike with declamations or short interviews, I can’t seem to bring myself to catch the audience’s attention unlike the way I would be able to if I wrote it down.

During my years as a college freshman, I had a professor (she taught English), who, in her class while we were to simply introduce ourselves one by one, asked me why I had chosen to write down the words I was going to say. I didn’t have an answer for her–surprisingly to me even, it was because I was confused.

Ms. Sayoc, as she was called, asked me in a way that was neither demeaning nor provocative, but rather in a manner that suggested she saw potential in me. I say this neither because of overconfidence in my own capabilities nor because it was her verbalized viewpoint. It was just so discernable back then.

Needless to say, the question was “why?”

I am in the least bit concerned over how my words will hurt people, as long as they are based on absolute proven facts or are my general and unwavering opinion clearly-stated and intended as. But I have always experienced stage jitters. I used to think I had stage fright, but that is different from what I call “stage jitters.” I’m never afraid to stand on stage, but I find it difficult to catch the audience’s attention and later feel shaky and withdrawn as though I am artificial intelligence, intending only to convey the essence of the message but to disregard its comprehension or recall by the listeners. Yet that is my goal, whether I write my speech and read, or write and aim to publish, I desire to be understood.

So I am pulled toward this inevitable path, not because I want to be withdrawn, but because, I think, I am more comfortable and assured of being able to express myself clearly through the written. I have no problems chatting, or engaging into online conversations via typing. It’s just very different.

I do see writing as my stepping stone to be able to one day weild a microphone (to speak) comfortably. But right now, I will enjoy every bit of this art because it also enchants me.

Writers are like the Bass of the Musical Band. Their contributions are enormous–vital to accentuate the guitar, essential to the emphasis of the main concept, but they’d stay on the sidelines, as such less popular than the guitarist. Writers, their words remain long after they’re dead–they speak to people through what they’ve written even though sometimes their readers may no longer know them–the same way we are able to listen to dead singers through their recorded music.

I’m perceive my professional career would one day require me to speak to many. And when that day comes, I do wish that all my experiences, both as a nurse and writer, and Godwilling someday as an educator, would serve me to be able to speak my mind in the best possible way to not just convey my message clearly but to be able to inspire my listeners as my written words had already been able to do so as early as during my high school days.

And when I retire from my nursing career, I would like to write and continue to write. Wherefore there is beauty in writing and manner of speech, and art in ideation, but most importantly, there is a God that giveth all things, all talents and skill, that were meant for service unto Him who is most generous.

And so fables and legends, and cultures and histories, they owe God–we owe God.

Is there evil that result in this art? –in our long history of communication as a society? The evil results thereof, in other words erotica, blasphemy, trash talks–yes they are but the result of this long history of speech–but just remember, in the same way people blame God for the cruelty that occur to them in this world, in this life, we can never have the good without the bad. There are circumstances for everything. There is beauty in humanity and there is also evil. It is inevitable because we live in such a world.

But the beauty in things make the changes and the results. We are not here to comment and be mere observers, but to be partakers, so that this society will grow and the aspects of our growth will be for the better and not for the worse.

Such is the same in the arts, and among those, the art of communication.

I am but a writer, but I seek to utilize this art for the beauty that it possess, for the contribution it has brought and may continue to bring to humanity.

Here I write with the Art in me, that my colors may reach out unto both stars and moons, unto both those who shine those who do not. But because this art is not of my wisdom but God’s, I glorify and thank Him for this gift.

However I think about it, even though I can’t say for sure because I’m just a plain random girl in the NBSB category, this emotion is just so temporary. Its vast futility cannot address the incomprehensible way this strikes straight into the heart.

Women must all be the same, right? But I think not. My mother, unlike me, wasn’t a hopeless romantic. My younger sister takes after her. But I obligingly fall for the clamor and perdition that is falling in-love. I hate it.

Sure, people get crushes here and there often or sometimes or never. But it’s not the same way when you fall in-love.

I could say I’ve got a crush on a guy one day, but I’d probably only actually “fall” (or more accurately put, infatuate) by the 6th week of seeing him everyday.

I find falling in-love different. It’s that feeling you get when you develop a liking towards someone you wouldn’t (or used to not) owe a smile or a happy mood. It’s when you meet a friend after a long time and then get attached, or it could also be when you’d actually get along with that person you’ve had a crush on, or that has a crush on you.

I was in senior high when someone asked me,
“Reese, what would you do if he (my crush) actually asked you out?”
And I was like, “Even if he sincerely liked me, I wouldn’t date him.”
Why not? Because, boys are so superficial. They feed on egotism (and food, granted), and they’re spirits wane after they’ve fully 100% got you. That’s why you shouldn’t give yourself whole. That’s why Sherry Argrov is such a good researcher and book author. But you don’t really need a book to tell you that you’re also logically not supposed to date guys who don’t have a stable life and still has to prove himself to his parents, let alone someone you might out-grow (in height too) in the future. It’s insane.

I have a best friend who, you could say, is the exact opposite of me–we didn’t used to be so different. But we parted in high school, and for most of her life I couldn’t be an influence. Neither her to me. She’s probably been in more than a few relationships, and her motto in love is ‘to give everything so that in the end if it doesn’t work out between the two of you, it’s to his conscience not yours’ which is upsetting because that’s like saying “consider all fruits edible, and if in case one of them is toxic or poisonous, don’t regret it because it’s the fruit’s fault not yours.” I just was never able to tell her that opinion of mine. Even though how deep our conversations may seem, or how close we are when we bond despite how long we’ve been apart, I just can’t ever let myself express such a thing demeaning her in a personal way.

I have another best friend, she’s exactly like me, I think. The reason I say “I think” is because, like me, she’s usually hard to read. We don’t bond by food but by communication. And (but this I think is purely my doing), our communication lately usually centers around relationships as well. I think she’s a hopeless romantic. She’s in-love with a guy and she thinks the guy likes her back to be honest. At first, when she told me about him, it seemed so. Then I got to meet him and became really good friends with the guy she liked–he’s really just a gentleman to everyone. I experienced it and almost fell for him. But then I’m reminded that he’s younger than me, a few months older than my best friend though. I feel bad for her, I haven’t told her my ‘findings’ as of yet.

I am a hopeless romantic. But I see things the way it is and where it goes, and deny myself the privilege of accepting “developed” feelings. Why? Well, firstly because it’s unreasonable, second, because it’s selfish, third, I don’t think I deserve it, last but not least, because it’s futile.

My words are not desirable in the least, and you could say I’m only saying this because I’m sore.

All of a sudden, I’m speechless as I type. Because, other than the fact that I’m right, the other fact is that, yes, I am sore.

Who am I to say I wouldn’t want it–the bliss, the attention–that sensation of actually being liked, or better yet, liked back by someone? In more ways than one, you could say it’s a vital phase in a woman’s life.

But the heart is merciless as it is deceitful, and I wish not anyone that fate. The heart cannot seem to be tamed in this aspect.

Other girls would go, “What must I do to make you love me?” On the otherhand, I am concerned with, “How should I get rid of this futility?” It’s an open furnace, anyone can get scorched. Therefore there should be water enough to kill it.

I’m not one to talk because I’ve been jealous, had my fits of self-pity, and nonsense crying myself to sleep. But these things kind of made me learn, and kind of wanted to make me learn more… about this mystery of man–why and how eros had developed in the history of humanity.

And I’m here typing this blog as the hours go by. Where I sit, I am waiting for company. And among the fervent and beloved company that I await is that one person–a someone I fell for, but didn’t mean to. He would be a first of many. Like the different types of crushes I had in the past, there will come to put kindle to the furnace again and light.. because I know it. And when those times pass, I will let my tears fall just like I did with every other that I thought could be different. But today, I will act like I’ve always been before the kindle was set, before the furnace alit. Today, despite that I have reached the climax of it all, I will pretend it ceases to exist, my heart knowing, one day it too will end.

It’s not that I don’t believe in love–I do. But seemingly, those things are not yet meant for me, and if it will never be meant for me then it’s probably for the best. I just hope and pray to God that when my prime has passed me by and I conclude that I will never abide with the eros that I long, I will be able to stand with pride knowing no regrets, being the strong independent figure of a woman I wanted to be without if it.

When I was a child, I also liked receiving & wearing nice things, expensive clothes, priceless jewelry, and most importantly, being able to brag about it.

When you grow up, you tend to make life choices that not only impact the lives of others but improve your own outlook in life–not choosing the expensive, not bragging about your latest waste of money.

One truly reaches the point of maturity only when he realizes which things matter most, and how to appreciate the things that matter. We’re not the only people in the world. We share it with others. And as much as I love to have things for myself, I try to not do things to distinct myself from the less fortunate, but rather, if I am not able to share what I have, I chose not to use money deliberately.

People may often see these mature actions not only in how one gives, but how one reserves for oneself, limits oneself, discipline oneself.

If people lived on the principle that life is not for show, then, we wouldn’t have glamorous fashion industries ceaselessly dictating for us the difference between the rich and the poor, nor conversations about how much one’s latest phone is worth compared to another’s. But there is no principle, there is only competition.

It seems but innate in man to compete, to win over and “one-up” another. But it’s not. So much so are we mesmerized by what society dictates as beauty vs. disgusting, and high-class, standard or cheap.

If you lived on the principle that life is not for show, and believed in your hearts that our stay here is temporary and nothing worldly matters in the so-called “afterlife,” then you wouldn’t care about the brand on your shoes or fur coats or watches. You would even feel for starving people in Africa in a more logical way by realizing the waste you’d spend on either a cigarette stick, a bottle of beer, or a million-dollar diamond-studded watch, because out there, some people cannot even afford that luxury.

And it’s not about the fact that they’re there and you’re here and there’s “nothing you can do about it.” It’s the fact that your reckless, and insulting the life these true brave ones live each passing day, not knowing whether they’ll be alive for days or at least even hours from this very moment.

You have the guts to call yourself classy, you think you have worth in the pinnacle of societal hierarchy, but you are worthless and undignified where it truly matters–having a name that will be remembered by countless idiots of the future non-progressive generations. And if it were to be, that we leave this world generations no better than our own, whose pride belong to hierarchical stature and egotism based on societal standards forever, I’d rather not be remembered than be labeled among that vast variety of stooges, calling themselves free but clearly being dictated by the honor-less standards of society.

For what is equality if this simple basic is not of value to any of you?–those who show compassion and care to make a name for themselves, but prejudice on the fashion and dominance of societal majority. I despise them.

I despise all those things. And I do not look up to people who think highly of themselves for practicing standards of societal hierarchy.

They powder themselves up on the outside. They make name and reputation towards the gullible simpletons of their society to look up to them. But deep down inside, they smell of fish and rotten eggs. They display affection and empathy to the extent of reputation alone.

Ponder about this. Ponder long and hard.

What you think you have done for society may only be of reputational gain.

The source of which is your insufferable desire to be better than others–dominance, but only in the eyes of the unsuspecting public.